Asian Lettuce Wraps

One of the most important things about feeding gamers (or really any group of friends you have over for a casual get together) is ease of eating.  Making a complex meal like pasta or steaks can really wow your guests, but it also sets restrictions on the night’s activities.  While it’s often good to have everyone sit down, eat a full meal and then clear the table, sometimes you need something that is more free form.   Soups are good for this, and I’ve already shared with you several recipes down that road.  For something more interactive though, Asian lettuce wraps is a delicious and simple choice.

This recipe is adapted from Sunny Anderson's recipe with a couple of tweaks for flavor.  I also find that the trench shape of romaine hearts make this much easier to serve and eat.  This particular recipe will serve 3 to 4 for dinner or 8 for lunch.

• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 4 inches of ginger (when using a root the diameter of a quarter) finely grated
• 4 scallions diced fine
• 5 clobes of garlic, minced (each clove should be about the size of a finger segment)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
•  ½ cup hoisin sauce
•  ¼ cup chopped peanuts (unsalted)
• 1 package hearts of romain

In a large skillet or pan, heat the sesame oil over medium high heat.  Add the ground beef, working it with a spatula until all of the meat is evenly browned.  If you’re not using lean beef (less than 10% fat), you’ll end up with a fair amount of fat at the bottom of the pan, that’s fine.  If you think there might be leftovers, I would recommend draining the excess grease, he extra fat will make them greasy and unpleasant.  If you’re planning on serving it all, though, the fat will disappear into the sauce so don’t worry about draining the grease.

Once the meat is browned add the remaining ingredients, stirring constantly.  Keep everything moving in the pan over medium high heat until it is incorporated.  Once it seems fully mixed give it a taste and add salt or pepper, as needed.  Remove it from the heat.  Mix the beef mixture with the peanuts in a bowl and serve with the lettuce.  The handy shape of the hearts of romaine makes it easy to grab as much or as little as you like.

My wife and I love these wraps.  We make them once every couple of months as an easy weekend meal because it has the advantage of producing a small amount of dirty dishes.  I haven’t yet served this to my game group but I’ll be bringing it out for our next Shadowrun game.  I’ll report back on the results.

Later this week I’ll be posting a more in-depth look at the Aspect system.  Next week I’ll finish with the Fate mechanics and how to use them in other games.  It looks like the recipes I’ve already served at my games have all been meat-base. I’m going to have to start stretching my vegetarian cooking muscles a bit more so expect something along those lines for the next recipe I share.  Until then, have a great week.